Wheel 2000 facts for kids

Wheel 2000 (full title Wheel of Fortune 2000) was a fun television game show made for kids. It was shown on Saturday mornings on the CBS channel. The show ran from September 13, 1997, to February 7, 1998. It was a special version of the famous adult game show Wheel of Fortune. David Sidoni was the host of Wheel 2000.

How to Play Wheel 2000

The game in Wheel 2000 was much like the adult Wheel of Fortune. But there were some cool differences! Instead of winning money, players earned points. If you won a round, you got a prize. At the start of each round, players chose from three different puzzle topics. A new topic would appear for the next round.

Special Spaces on the Wheel

The wheel had some unique spaces that made the game exciting:

• The Creature: This was like the "Bankrupt" space. If you landed here, a creature would pop out of the wheel. It would "eat" all your points!
• Loser: This space meant you would "Lose a Turn." You missed your chance to play.
• WWW.WHEEL2000.COM: If you landed here and guessed a correct letter, someone watching at home could win! A person who had visited the Wheel 2000 website might win a t-shirt. The player on the show also got 750 points for each time their letter appeared.
• Double Up: Landing on this space meant you answered a question. If you got it right, you could pick a letter for 1,000 points each time it appeared. If you answered wrong, it was 500 points per letter.
• Prize Box: If you landed here and guessed a correct letter, you won a small prize! You got to keep this prize no matter what. You also earned 100 points for each time your letter appeared.
• Stunt Spaces: There were three 250-point stunt spaces. If you landed on one, you got to play a physical game. These games helped you earn up to three letters for the puzzle. After the stunt, you could see if your letters were in the puzzle. Or you could choose a new letter.

Fun Physical Stunts

Here are some of the cool physical games players got to try:

• Call Waiting – Players picked up toy telephones. They had to figure out who was "calling" them.
• Feed the Raptor – Contestants used a giant spoon. They dug meat out of a pit. Then they put it into a raptor's mouth.
• Monster Heads – Players put on an apron, gloves, and goggles. They grabbed parts of famous heads from a slimy basket. Then they stuck them onto a monster.
• Letter Launch – Players put alien ships on a catapult. They launched them into a spinning pod.
• Smell-O-Letter – Contestants wore a mask with a smelling tube. They had to identify smells in four different tubes.
• Chutes and Letters – Players dropped a ball down a tube. It went towards a spinning wheel. They had to guess what color the ball would land on.
• Remote Rally – Contestants controlled a remote-controlled car. They drove it through an obstacle course. They crossed lines to reach the end. One line let them win a Wheel 2000 cap.
• Cube Roll – Players tossed pairs of cubes into the air. They had to match symbols to earn a letter.
• Match It – Contestants played a matching game. This helped them earn letters for the puzzle.
• Wash and Wear Words – Players put on different clothes. Each piece of clothing (cap, shirt, shorts, shoe) had a letter. They had to spell a 3 or 4-letter word. When they hit a button, they said the word they were "wearing" to earn a letter.
• Alien Toss – Players tossed foam aliens at numbered windows. Behind the windows were shapes. They had to match a pair of shapes to earn a letter.

After each puzzle was solved, a short video clip was shown. This clip was usually about the puzzle's topic.

The Bonus Round

The player who won the main game got to play the Bonus Round. They chose one of two prize packages, labeled "A" or "B." A new puzzle was shown. Some common letters like R, S, T, L, N, and E were already revealed. The player then picked three more consonants and one vowel. They had 10 seconds to solve the puzzle. If they solved it correctly, they won the chosen prize package!

Images for kids

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  The game board layout for Round Two on Wheel 2000. The highest point value was 2,000. You can also see the big 250-point stunt spaces.